The importance of maintaining hydration while engaging in strenuous physical activity is well known. Recently, personal hydration devices have been developed which allow users to carry large amounts of liquids and drink more or less continuously during long periods of physical activity. These devices typically have a bag-like water reservoir that is carried in small, back-mounted packs and, more recently, backpacks of all sizes. A long flexible hose is connected to the reservoir at one end and terminates in a mouth piece at the other end. The hose is long enough to allow the user to carry the mouth piece and draw water from the reservoir at will during vigorous activity such as hiking or cycling.
Initial designs of the refillable reservoir suffered from two main limitations: restricted flow of the beverage at the junction between the hose and the reservoir and difficulty in cleaning the reservoir. Flow of the beverage is restricted when the user applies suction to the hose in an effort to drink and the reservoir collapses as the hose junction thereby forming an unwanted seal at the hose's end. Cleaning the reservoir is very important and difficult due to small diameters in the hose and a filling port in the reservoir. After a reservoir has been used to carry water, mold and/or fungus typically forms in the reservoir due to persistent moisture in the reservoir. After a reservoir has been used to carry sports beverages such as Gatorade®, a sticky residue remains and repeated fillings of such sports beverages eventually render the reservoir unusable.
More recent designs of hydration devices have been mostly successful of overcoming there early deficiencies. However, such recent designs still grow mold and/or fungus in the drinking hose due to lack of ventilation and are still difficult to clean despite larger fill openings. What is needed is a reservoir for a personal hydration device wherein difficulty in cleaning the reservoir is mitigated substantially.